Happy Year of the Golden Pig

Sunday marked the beginning of the year of the pig in the Chinese calendar. Those of you born in 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995 and 2007 are considered to be patient, peaceful, hardworking, willing, giving, and gallant. But those born this year will be especially blessed with good luck and financial wealth, as this is also the year of the Golden Pig, which comes around every 600 years. To celebrate—and profit from—a year that is expected to be filled with luck, gadget makers are putting a fun and expensive spin on devices hitting the Asian market, such as the 24-karat gold pig-shaped cell phone charms, and the silver/gold USB drives engraved with Chinese proverbs. Just for fun, I've listed some affordable gadgets from around the web that pay tribute to the adorable pig.

•Fortune Pig Drive: To celebrate the New Chinese Year in style, PQI is producing 1,500 limited edition credit-card thin drives engraved with a fancy red fortune pig that stands out on the drive's golden surface. They'll be available in 1GB and 2GB capacities in Asia only.

 
•Hannspree Pig TV: HANNSz.pg 10-inch LCD in the form of a plush piggy is so adorable and perfect for a kid's bedroom. The little oinker looks like a stuffed animal and has a removable cover for easy cleaning. You can find these online or buy it direct from the site.

•USB Pig Radio: I've seen the piggy speakers that connect to MP3 players, but not the radio pig. This little piggy has a radio auto scan function on one ear and volume control on its tail so you can blast those tunes through the pig's speaker nose. It all sounds strange, so you'll have to see it to understand.

•Pig E-Bank: This is not just any piggy bank—this one has an LCD that tracks all the coins you put it in. Not only will it teach the kids about the value of money, but it also tells them how much is in the bank. It recognizes pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.

•MoodieCare Pig Clock: This is no ordinary piggy-shaped clock. The MoodieCare clock actually relives pressure and stress by gradually changing into 12 different colors. It plugs via USB to your computer to provide the time while uplifting your mood everytime anytime. Happy year of the pig!